


a promise is a promise

by BookRockShooter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (side note i love their friendship), Avengers: Infinity War - Canon Divergence, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pre-Slash, Tony Being Tony, also wow this is my first completed Marvel fic go me!!, and I've wanted to write a fic for them for awhile and this is what happened?? idk, hulk/thor is minor it's more bruce/thor but anyway, i guess, i just wanted Thor to actually be able to calm the Hulk down y'know, idk - Freeform, okay now for the actual other tags lmao, probably, so yeah ever since Thor: Ragnarok I've been highkey Thorbruce trash!!, thorbruce needs more fics t b h, uhh, until like the very end i suppose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 02:05:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14322153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookRockShooter/pseuds/BookRockShooter
Summary: Bruce has a request to make of Thor, and Thor has a promise for Bruce to keep.-Or: Bruce wants Thor to help him calm down after Hulking out, and Thor just wants Bruce to stay safe.(Technically written to take place during Infinity War as I am holding onto the hope that these two interact at least once during this film-)





	a promise is a promise

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so bad at titles forgive me
> 
> But anyway!!
> 
> So as I've said in the tags I am Thorbruce trash and I wanted to write a fic for them where Bruce Hulks out during battle and Thor's the one to bring him back and this is what happened idk idk
> 
> Also side note I love Bruce and Thor sm but Tony Stark and his rambly ass is the real loml, just putting that out there-
> 
> Hope you enjoy?? A c k I've never written Marvel fic despite being in this fandom for y e a r s forgive me

They’re getting ready to head to battle again – maybe the third time that day, but Bruce has lost count how many times they’ve fought just these past few days, these things just keep coming – and he takes a moment to just sit and breathe. He knows the most likely form he’ll be fighting in this time.

Tony’s been letting him use the Hulk Buster armor to fight in, because Bruce had quietly expressed the same concerns to him that he’d given Thor back on Sakaar – _“If I. . . Hulk out again, there’s a chance I won’t come back.”_ – and while there was a possibility that he’d be wrong again, just like he was with Thor, he didn’t want to risk it. After explaining things, Tony’d slapped him just a bit too hard on the back and had said, “It’s cool, Banner, I get it. It would kinda suck if Hulk ended up staying around permanently, because I need my science bro – don’t tell the green rage monster I said that, though – so how about this: you still fight, because we need all the power we can get, but you can use one of my suits? Better yet, actually, use the Hulk Buster armor! It makes a poetic kind of sense, right, since you’re the Hulk, and you like to bust things- wait, that sounded wrong, stop laughing at me, damn it-”

So yeah. He’ll be fighting again, still in the armor, but he’s still worried that the stress of so much fighting will actually get to him this time, and he’ll become the Other Guy again. There’s no real way to avoid that, unfortunately.

Bruce feels himself frown a little.

Actually.

So maybe there is no real way to avoid actually turning, but he can ask somebody to at least help him calm down if it comes down to it.

Natasha would be an obvious choice, but if he’s being honest, not being in contact with her for over two years caused the feelings he’d been developing for her to kind of. . . fade, and he doesn’t think she’d be able to help calm him down fast enough anymore. He’s actually somewhat disappointed, but their reunion had proved that she’ll always be a very dear friend to him, at the very least.

He considers Tony for a split second, then grimaces and shakes his head. Sure, he and Tony are good friends, but Tony trying to comfort him enough to make him go from the Other Guy to just Bruce was a pretty laughable thought. If anything, Tony would just somehow make the Hulk even more pissed off than he usually was.

Bruce sighs a little. Who the hell else was he good enough friends with that they would be able to calm him own from being the Other Guy?

“Banner?”

Bruce jumps and then looks up to see Thor standing in front of him, a small frown on his face.

Oh. Of course. Bruce can’t believe he didn’t consider the god; their time on Sakaar had proved that Thor would at least be willing to try and turn him back into himself if things got out of hand. They had become better friends, so Thor calming him down could work - hopefully.

“Banner, are you alright?” Thor looks a little concerned now as he sits beside Bruce, who gives a slight nod.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Just, uh, feeling a little stressed. Hey, listen, could you do me a favor? Maybe? If- if you’re. . . cool with it?”

Thor blinks at him, confused, but at least his frown vanishes. “Yes, of course. I actually have a request to ask of you, as well, if you’ll consider it.”

Now it’s Bruce’s turn to be confused, but he agrees. “Uh, yeah, alright. What’s your request, then?”

“You can ask of yours first, if you wish.”

Bruce feels himself sort of smile. He’s known Thor for at least four or five years – god, he’s old – but he still isn’t over how properly the god speaks. It’s oddly charming. “Right. So, uh, you know how me turning into the Hulk is. . . a bigger risk now than it used to be? Since I’m worried that each time I turn may be my last?” Thor nods, but says nothing. His frown returns. “Um, okay. . . so I was wondering if. . . you’d be willing to help me calm down, if it happens during battle this time? Because I think it might, and I really just need to know that someone’ll have my back.” The request feels more awkward than it should, but Bruce maintains eye contact with Thor, waiting nervously for his response.

“Of course I will.”

Oh. That wasn’t so bad, then. Bruce lets out his breath and smiles at Thor slightly. “Thank you, that makes me feel better.”

Thor grins back, lips turned up farther than normal, and Bruce is taken aback by how nice it is to see Thor smile. It makes his heart sort of flutter, actually, and that’s. . . that’s unexpected.

Okay. So Thor’s smile is pretty. That’s actually to be expected, now that he thinks about it. The guy’s a god, for crying out loud. This is normal. _Back to the matter at hand, Bruce._

“So, uh, w-what was you request, then?” Bruce stammers out, dropping his gaze. All around them, their teammates and various other people who Bruce doesn’t really recognize rush past them, and he realizes that they’re probably getting ready to go fight again. He holds his breath for a moment and then lets it out with a shudder.

Thor’s staring again, eye narrowed. “Banner, are you sure you’re able to fight? You don’t look well, and we can’t have you falling during battle. That wouldn’t be good for anybody- well, except the enemy, I suppose, but that’s not the point.”

“I’m. . . fine,” Bruce says, breathing slowly and deeply. He’ll be fine. Thor’s got his back if the Other Guy shows up. Everything will be okay. “Better tell me about that apparent request now, though, I think we’re gearing up for yet another battle.”

The god glances around as though only now realizing the commotion around them. “Right. Okay.” He turns back to Bruce and slowly but certainly takes one of Bruce’s hands.  
Bruce can’t stop the flood of red that colors his face or the embarrassingly surprised noise that jumps from his throat.

Thor doesn’t seem to notice the heart attack Bruce is having from the contact and just stares at Bruce carefully. “Promise me that you’ll stay safe. I’ve lost too many important people these past few weeks. I don’t want to add you to that list, as well.”

Bruce can barely breathe, mostly from shock. He viewed Thor as an important figure in his life, of course – as were all of the Avengers – but he had no idea that Thor felt the same way. “Uh- y-yeah, I, uh, promise. I’ll t-try to stay safe.”

A few moments pass before Thor finally nods and stands. He doesn’t release Bruce’s hand until Bruce stands up beside him, and his hand moves up to grip his shoulder. “I’ll see you after battle, then.”

“Uh, yeah, alright.”

Behind them, Tony’s voice drawls, “Not that this isn’t sweet, guys, but we do have an annoyingly huge alien army to fight again. Thor, head on out so your boyfriend can suit up.”

Bruce starts to stammer a response – _“Tony, what the hell, we’re not like that,”_ is what he hoped to say – but Thor just smiles a little grimly and nods. He stares at Bruce a second longer, then leaves them.

Tony claps Bruce on the shoulder. “Never thought I’d see the day. Personally, I thought you’d just stay married to your work, but your surprise vacation to an alien planet obviously knocked some sense into you.”

“You’re one to talk,” Bruce mutters, ignoring Tony’s indignant “Hey!” in favor of heading to the Hulk Buster armor.

He takes a few deep breaths just before he gets in it again and thinks of the promises he and Thor made to each other.

Things would be fine.

-

Things, of course, were not fine.

Bruce is being beaten down by the alien creatures more than he was in previous battles, for some reason, and it’s taking its toll on him – he can almost hear the rapid beeping of the device he used to wear that measured when the Other Guy was about to take over.

Gritting his teeth, he hits a few buttons and sets off a few of some sort of missile. They hit each of the screeching monsters, and then he’s free again, slamming his way through other creatures. His heart rate is still picking up, and he tries to ignore the impossibly high levels of stress this battle is causing him.

Over the comm, Bruce hears Steve shouting something that sounds vaguely like, _“Watch out, he’s falling!”_ and he doesn’t really pay attention until he plows through some more aliens and suddenly catches sight of something – somebody? – falling out of the sky. Bruce feels his heart constrict.

That’s Thor falling.

“Oh my God,” he says, and then Tony’s shouting at him, _“Bruce, he’ll be fine, he’s a god for fuck’s sake, focus on the fight-”_ but Bruce knows he can’t do that. This is Thor. Thor, God of Thunder; Thor, member of the Avengers; Thor, who helped Bruce when they were both stranded on Sakaar and reminded him that he’s more than just the “Incredible Hulk.”

With a roar that cracks the glass in the Hulk Buster and makes the armor rattle wildly, Bruce lets the Hulk take back over. His last conscious thought as Bruce Banner is _please just save him._

-

“. . . going down, the sun’s going down, it’s getting real low-”

Bruce slowly comes to as the Hulk shrinks back down in size; the Hulk then retreats, and Bruce is himself.

“- the sun’s- oh, Banner, thank Odin,” somebody breathes, sounding overwhelmingly relieved, and Bruce looks up to see Thor kneeling beside him, looking fairly bloody and bruised, but alive; that’s all that matters to Bruce. “Are you alright?”

Bruce stays where he is for a few seconds longer, just breathing, before allowing himself to sit up. He winces at the effort, and then Thor is helping him. “Yeah, I- I think I’m okay. What, uh, what happened?”

“Well,” Tony responds, tapping on a piece of metal in his hand, and Bruce realizes in surprise that Tony’s holding part of the Hulk Buster armor, “you Hulked out to save Thor, who was, fine by the way, he came to right before you grabbed him – I think you scared him, actually – and after putting him out of harm’s way – again, he was fine – you proceeded to  
smash the shit out of everything in your way, and yes I am aware of how that sounds, but I don’t give a shit.”

“You also tore apart the armor,” Steve adds, tugging the metal out of Tony’s hands and holding it up. “I told Tony that you didn’t mean it, but he seems pretty pissed anyway. I’m sure I can talk some sense into him, though.”

Tony’s complaint of “I am _right here_ ” is ignored by Bruce, who just groans and falls against Thor. The god brushes his hand through his hair, and Bruce is too exhausted to be embarrassed by the gesture.

“Thank you for calming. . . the Other Guy down,” Bruce murmurs to Thor, taking a deep, calming breath. “I think I’d’ve been screwed without you here.”

“Gee, thanks, Banner,” somebody else says, and Natasha walks into Bruce’s line of sight. She smiles at him, though, so he knows that she’s not really offended. “I was actually ready to help you, but Thor stepped in alarmingly fast, considering how worn out he seemed, so I wasn’t needed.”

Bruce looks at Thor in time to see his face turn the slightest shade of red, and the god mutters, “Widow, was that really a necessary comment to make?” Natasha just grins before nodding to Bruce and walking away.

“Are you feeling alright now?” Thor says to Bruce, then, and Bruce looks up at him and nods.

“Yeah, I think so.”

He manages to stand up with only a little help from Thor, and the two make their way past the endless bodies of aliens to the rest of their teammates to wait for transportation to arrive to take them back to their current base.

“Banner?”

“Hm?” Bruce looks over to Thor. The god hesitates only a second before reaching out and grasping the scientist’s hand. Bruce feels his face heat up again, but he holds on.

“I’m glad you kept your promise.” The words are simple, but Bruce smiles a little at them anyway. He squeezes Thor’s hand, and Thor smiles back gently.

“I’m glad too.”

They’re quiet as they smile at each other for a few moments, and then Thor actually leans forward and presses his lips against Bruce’s forehead. Bruce is pretty sure he almost dies, right there.

Tony, of course, ruins it by saying, “No, Thor, you’re supposed to kiss him on the lips, not the forehead, you fucking _sap_.”

Bruce groans and flips Tony off, leaning his head against Thor’s shoulder as the god laughs quietly. “Can we agree to ignore him when we get back to base, please?”

“I promise we will,” Thor says, and Bruce smiles again.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

**Author's Note:**

> ehhh this feels worse than I initially thought it was but!! who cares!! but fr what a,, bad ending I'm sorry
> 
> I mostly want to post this bc I haven't posted a regular fic in forever as I've been focused on a gc fic for almost a year (feel free to look at that if you want lmaooo) sooo yeah
> 
> ,,, the more I reread this the less, like, coherent it looks, so I'm just gonna stop lmao
> 
> Anyway I hope this was okay?? Maybe?? Hhh okay I'ma go now bye thanks for reading


End file.
